The practice of holistic medicine
focuses on treatments that address the whole person, rather than treating
illness or disease as an isolated incident. Any illness or disease
that occurs is viewed as a dysfunction of the person as a whole. The
holistic physician takes into consideration physical, nutritional,
environmental, emotional, spiritual, or lifestyle factors that may
be contributors or causes of ill health.
Holistic medicine is focused on creating a state of optimal health.
Health is considered to be much more than simply the absence of illness.
Optimal health is achieved through developing a high quality of life
on all levels—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.
When disease or illness occurs, the holistic medicine treatment approach
is to
search for the underlying cause of the illness, rather than only treat
its symptoms with drugs or surgery, as is usually done with conventional
medicine treatments.
Holistic medicine modalities used in diagnosis and treatment can include
both conventional and complementary therapies. Practitioners may also
incorporate recommendations for lifestyle changes. Complementary therapies
such as herbal medicine, homeopathy and acupuncture may be used as
secondary care treatments. Conventional medicine secondary care treatment
options may include physical therapy, drugs and surgery.
Primary care treatments within the holistic medicine framework depend
a great deal on the physician-patient relationship. The quality of
the relationship is a major determinant in the healing outcome. Holistic
practitioners take into consideration the needs, awareness and insights
of both themselves and their patients.
Primary care treatment options, based on this physician-patient relationship,
have a main component of the practitioner adopting an attitude of
unconditional love for the patient, applied to body, mind and spirit.
The holistic physician also adopts this attitude for other practitioners
and themselves.
Additional primary care treatment options may include diet, exercise,
attitudinal and behavioral modifications, environmental measures,
and spiritual counseling. Holistic practitioners also encourage their
patients to become aware of the toxic effect on health that depression,
anger, prolonged fear, hostility, or grief can have. Patients are
encouraged to develop the capacity for hope, enthusiasm, humor and
love as powerful healing forces.
Holistic medicine is beneficial in the treatment of both acute and
chronic illnesses. Through its focus on creating a state of optimal
health, it empowers patients to heal themselves through addressing
the primary cause of their disease. Facilitating healthy lifestyle
changes results in prevention and treatment of illness as a by-product
rather than the primary concern. |
